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5 Month OB Appointment

Today was my 5 month “baby doctor” appointment. I was wondering what the doctor’s office would say about my recent appointment with the high risk clinic and the “soft marker” they found for Down’s Syndrome.

During an ultrasound at the clinic about 3 weeks ago, the technician told me that my child had an echogenic bowel. Supposedly, this is considered a marker for Down’s Syndrome. Since I am already of advanced maternal age, my risk factor for the syndrome is pretty high–about 10%.

I talked with the doctor today about the internet searches I’d done to research the condition. I also talked with her about the abruptness of the doctor who’d come to discuss the ultrasound results with me. Not only was the doctor abrupt, but he advised that I terminate the pregnancy as I have a 10% risk of having a child with Down’s Syndrome supposedly. I was shocked, and I told her so.

The doctor I saw today explained to me that many things can cause a “marker” to show up during an ultrasound. She also explained to me that the whole ultrasound thing is still an inexact science. As we discussed things further, she admitted to me that she’d had a similar experience at the same clinic. Her child had a marker show up during an ultrasound and they also advised her to terminate the pregnancy. Her child is now 3 months old and is fine.

I am curious to find out–have any other women out there ever had a specialist who advised terminating a pregnancy due to an ultrasound finding?